With India Turning 'Tropic Of Cancer' As Cases Rise, Pfizer Plans New Oncology Drugs
These drugs target some of the most pressing cancer types, including multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and bladder cancer
As India stares at a staggering rise in cancer cases, American pharma major Pfizer is gearing up to launch its leading oncology drugs in the country. These drugs target some of the most pressing cancer types, including multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and bladder cancer.
'Our pipeline includes a variety of molecules at different stages of development. These molecules are being developed to address unmet medical needs in areas such as breast cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, as well as colorectal and prostate cancer," Dr Pankaj Gupta, senior medical director, Pfizer India, told News18, detailing the company's drug launch pipeline in the next two to three years.
'India is set to become the cancer capital of the world, with cases expected to rise to 1.57 million this year," Gupta said while quoting an Indian study.
With technology transforming cancer care, Pfizer is betting big on precision medicine, immunotherapy, and CAR-T cell therapy. The three latest therapies, which Pfizer is planning to bring to India, are elranatamab to treat multiple myeloma, sasanlimab for bladder cancer, and vepdegestrant for breast cancer.
While pricing and timelines for these launches are yet to be confirmed, Gupta noted that the goal is to introduce these drugs in a way that complements national health priorities and expands access.
According to the recent estimates by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (ICMR-NCDIR), 1 in 9 Indians is at risk of developing cancer in their lifetime. This makes India one of the biggest markets for oncology drugs and therapies in the world.
Gupta, who holds significant experience in public health administration and clinical practice, told News18 that the company wants to cater to the 'unmet medical needs", especially for the patients of myeloma or blood cancer who typically have very limited treatment options—either due to their cancer turning resistant or no longer responding to the available drugs.
'…We plan to introduce a novel bispecific B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed CD3 T-cell engager. With the convenience of subcutaneous injection and superior efficacy outcomes in clinical trials, I am sure we will positively impact a lot of patients," he said.
Similarly, in the bladder cancer space, Gupta said, 'We intend to launch an investigational anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, which, in combination with Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), aiming to provide prolonged survival and potentially delaying or reducing the need for more aggressive treatment options."
Pfizer is also planning to bring a drug for treating breast cancer.
'Patients with breast cancer, who account for the greatest number of cancer cases among women in India, may vastly benefit from an investigational oral PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC) estrogen receptor (ER) degrader," Gupta said while adding that the drug has a unique dual mechanism of action providing it with a clear edge over all available treatment options.
How company plans to make these medicines accessible
According to Gupta, with the rising cancer cases, there has also been an increase in the overall cost of cancer treatment in India. To tackle this issue, he believes that policies like Rastriya Aarogya Nidhi (RAN), Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), and several other public and private grants are supporting patients.
However, at Pfizer, also, he said, 'We are constantly working towards making our innovations accessible and affordable. We work very closely with the state health system for various state-specific initiatives. We have multiple affordability solutions for patients, including patient assistance programmes that aim at easing the financial burden on our patients."
He claims that the company constantly engages with various healthcare policy partners to try and shape cancer-related policies to help improve awareness, diagnosis, and, hence, timely treatment. However, Gupta did not directly comment on the pricing of the upcoming drugs.
Pfizer excited about antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
Gupta, who is a former chief scientific officer at Swiss drugmaker Novartis, pointed out that precision medicine, which uses genetic markers to tailor treatments, and CAR-T therapy, which reprograms a patient's own T-cells to fight cancer, represent the next frontier in cancer care.
'We as Indians must pride ourselves on our indigenous CAR-T Talicabtagene Autoleucel developed by IIT Mumbai in collaboration with Tata Memorial Hospital," he said.
Pfizer is particularly 'excited" about antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), 'which combine monoclonal antibodies with cytotoxic agents for targeted cancer cell destruction, offering a more precise and effective treatment option."
ADCs are a new type of cancer treatment that delivers chemotherapy directly to cancer cells using antibodies. This approach helps kill cancer cells more precisely while causing less harm to healthy cells.
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'Pfizer has already been in the ADC space with molecules in leukaemia, but with the acquisition of Seagen, we are now at the forefront of ADC technology, and in the coming years, we plan to launch some of them," said Gupta.
To mention a few, he said, 'We plan to launch an innovative molecule targeting HER-2 in breast and urothelial cancer that combines targeted delivery, selective cytotoxicity, and bystander killing. Another example of a novel ADC is one that selectively targets integrin beta-6, which is a receptor overexpressed on various tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer. Each of these will allow for more precise targeting of cancer cells, reducing damage to healthy cells and improving patient outcomes."
First Published:
May 16, 2025, 07:00 IST
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